Menu
Drumming to My Own Beat
Byron Shire Council (North Coast NSW)
- Percussion workshops with musician Greg Sheehan
- Live performance at two events for International Day of People with a Disability
Don't DIS my ABILITY event details
- 3 December 2009. Performance at Alstonville Showground and Leisure Centre as part of the IDPWD Regional Event for Far North Coast NSW. Performance time: 11:00am to 11:30am.
Performance dates
- 5 December 2009. Main Beach, Byron Bay as part of Disabled Surfers Day. Performance time 12:30noon to 1:00pm.
Process
The Byron Shire is well known for its busking drummers and drumming performances at markets and community events.
Drumming To My Own Beat includes a series of drumming and body percussion workshops for young people with a disability, run by professional local musician Greg Sheehan. Participants will work together to develop and present percussion performances at two events for International Day of People With a Disability (IDPWD).
In 2008, consultations with a local youth social group, the Muskateers, identified art and performance based activities as a keen interest. Byron Shire Council worked with the group to run an art project through the Youth Activities Program.
To strengthen this connection with young people with a disability, as well as to increase their participation and access to Council services, further activities were developed including the Drumming To My Own Beat project for IDPWD. Facilitated by Accommodation Network, this project has linked the Muskateers social group with the Support Unit at Mullumbimby High School, Disabled Surfers Association and the Youth Development Officer, Aged and Disability Officer and Youth Activities Officer at Byron Shire Council.
Greg Sheehan, a local and well known professional musician, has been engaged to deliver percussion and music workshops with an inclusive group of young people. Greg is skilled in working with diverse groups of people and using music as an educational and developmental tool. His workshops are designed to be fun, experimental and creative, with an additional aim of creating a performance that will be shown at the regional IDPWD event and at the Disabled Surfers Association event.
Young people from within the Support Unit and the wider school community were offered the opportunity to participate, along with young people involved with the Muskateers. Council's Youth Activities Officer, a school support staff member and a support worker from Accommodation Network also attend the workshops and assist at the performance days.
A combination of youth community transport (Batbus), Accommodation Network support and family involvement will be used to get participants to each of the events. The school has provided the venue for the workshops and musical instruments have come from a range of sources including Greg Sheehan, Council's Activities Program resources and borrowed drum kits.
The workshops are proving to be popular and using a professional musician with Greg's experience has been a great draw card. Partnering widely has meant there is strong support and engagement in the project as well as an opportunity to strengthen relationships between project partners.
The project has been a collaboration between Accommodation Network, Mullumbimby High School Support Unit and the Byron Shire Council.
Rita Youssef-Price
Byron Shire Council
Youth Development Officer
About the arts tutor
Greg Sheehan
Greg Sheehan has long been regarded as one of the finest percussionists in Australia and a pioneer of contemporary rhythm. With his propensity for experimentation and exploration on all sorts of instruments – tuned and un-tuned, man-made and earth-made, he is firmly in the realm of Australia’s great musical innovators.
Project partners
Accommodation Network, Mullumbinmy High School Support Unit, Disabled Surfers Association, Byron Shire Council - Youth Development Officer, Aged and Disability Officer, Youth Activities Officer Youth Activities Officers.